Swamped Chapter 66 Page 7

You spent your childhood trying to avoid getting in trouble with people like this man; you spent a good chunk of your adulthood giving them orders.

And if there’s one thing you picked up in all that time, it’s that they can quickly get very unreasonable if you act outside their expectations. And when people are being unreasonable and carrying weapons, well. That’s something you’d rather not deal with if you can help it.

So you go to one of your oldest tactics: pretending to just not be that bright. That tends to inspire pity, rather than fear. It’s a lot safer, not least because it leads to people underestimating you.

“No,” you say. “Is that a problem? Can your guide help me?”

You can see the confusion in his eyes almost immediately, but after a moment he sorts it out.

“You flatter me, but I am not a guest here. I am an officer. My job is to ensure the Silent Ones carry out their duties as ordered.”

He says that as though it explains everything. But perhaps you can use your ruse to get a little more information out of him.

“Why are they called the Silent Ones?” you ask, sounding as sincere as you can.

He chuckles a little. He thinks he has a sense of you now.

“Because they are not permitted to speak until their work for the Master is completed. And all others are not permitted to speak to them, save the Master himself when he gives them direction. Their task is a holy one, and so they are not to be contaminated by mortal words.”

You think you have more questions than answers right now, but you can at least understand one thing. All these people running about are slaves. And being slaves, they don’t have time to wonder what a stranger in a military uniform is doing here.

Which makes that part of your directions quite a bit clearer now, but you still haven’t found the temple. This guard seems to be your best bet for figuring that out. At least he seems to have bought your act enough not to find it odd if you ask “obvious” questions.

So what should you ask him next?

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Suggestions:

Don’t push your luck by getting too chummy. Just get directions to the grand temple, but do ask for the guard’s name so you can properly thank him.
Author’s Note:
I very deliberately gave Ash no particular reaction to realizing the Silent Ones are slaves. He just views it as another point of information, nothing more.
It says a lot about the sort of person he is.